Crossing The Panama Canal: Panama To Costa Rica

TRAVEL PERIOD
23 Dec 2023 –
2 Mar 2024

DURATION
8 days

PRICE
From €2241 / per person

Crossing the Panama Canal: From Panama to Costa Rica

A Costa Rica & Panama Canal cruise is one full of adventures, excitement, and lifetime memories. The jungles with their spectacular plants and wildlife, the unique white sand beaches and the crossing of the legendary Panama Canal, are only some of the myriad treasures this Panama cruise has to offer.

A Costa Rica & Panama Canal cruise is one full of adventures, excitement, and lifetime memories.

Day By Day

Day 1 | Saturday

Colon 2000 Port – Panama Canal Crossing, Panama

Embarkation at 12:00 pm in Colon 2000. Welcome cold snack and salad bar. Safety drill and departure at 1:00 pm. The ship is positioned at the Canal entrance for the Canal transit starting at 5:00 pm. We cross the Gatun Locks and enter the Gatun Lake. Welcome dinner. Late evening we reach and cross the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks before reaching the Pacific side and Panama City in the early hours.

Day 2 | Sunday

Flamenco Marina/Panama City, Panama

Early morning arrival at Flamenco Marina, Panama City. Morning Optional Panama City tour to discover the old Panama City, Casco Viejo, its architecture, cathedrals and historical buildings. Late afternoon sailing to Playa Muerto/Darien, Panama.

Day 3 | Monday

Playa Muerto/Darien, Panama

Today, join our optional excursion to Darien National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre stretching across two continents: Panama in North America and Colombia in South America. We’ll meet the Panamanian Emberá, one of 7 indiginous groups native to the country.They are proud and very friendly and known for their beautiful handicrafts and well preserved traditions. We will be invited to dance with them. We return to the ship for lunch. Afternoon sailing to Granito De Oro. Overnight at sea.

Day 4 | Tuesday

Granito De Oro – Coiba Islands, Panama

Midday arrival at Granito de Oro Island for an amazing swimming and snorkeling experience in this little paradise island. Deck BBQ and sailing to nearby Coiba island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest island in Central America. Afternoon walking tour with our Ship Naturalist who will take you for a short walk to discover the local forest and animal life. Free time for swimming and snorkeling on Coiba. In the afternoon, we leave Coiba and sail to Golfito. Overnight at sea.

Day 5 | Wednesday

Golfito, Costa Rica

We reach Golfito in the early morning for immigration procedures and our optional shore excursion to Casa Orchideas. Late afternoon departure towards Drake Bay. Late evening arrival in Drake Bay and overnight at anchor.

Day 6 | Thursday

Drake Bay, Costa Rica

Welcome to Quepos, a small town and gateway to the Manuel Antonio Reserve known for its tropical plants and wildlife. Optional excursion in Corcovado National Park/Osa Peninsula, a nature preserve and tropical rainforest that occupies almost a third of the Osa Peninsula. Visitors are almost guaranteed to see some of the most incredible wildlife living in the jungles of the reserve including red-eyed tree frogs, quetzals, tapirs, harpy eagles, white-lipped peccaries, monkeys, and scarlet macaws. Swimmers can have the amazing opportunity to share the warm waters with marlins, dolphins, and pilot whales. Evening arrival in Quepos, Costa Rica. Overnight at anchor.

Day 7 | Friday

Quepos – Playa Biesanz, Costa Rica

Like much of Costa Rica, Drake Bay is a haven for wildlife. You’ll understand what we mean after an excursion through the tropical rainforest. Here, you’re almost guaranteed to see incredible species including red-eyed tree frogs, quetzals, tapirs, harpy eagles, white-lipped peccaries, monkeys, and scarlet macaws. A swim in the bay is sharing space with marlins, dolphins and pilot whales. See – we told you it’s impressive! After lunch on board, you can take the optional Forest Canopy excursion. Afternoon sailing to nearby Playa Biesanz for an afternoon swim. (Forest Canopy tour excursion participants rejoin the ship in Playa Biesanz). Tropical evening on board. Late night sailing to Puerto Caldera. Overnight at sea.

Day 8 | Saturday

Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica

Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica (3PM – 4PM)
Disembarkation at 9:00 am after breakfast.

In case of severe weather conditions our expertly designed routes are adjusted ensuring your safety & comfort by applying our rich marine knowledge, garnered since 1949.
Stay flexible – Adventure on.

Highlights

Manuel Antonio National Park

As you venture deep into Manuel Antonio National Park in Quepos, our guest Naturalist will help you spot on the treetops for endangered white-faced Capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys three-toed sloths.

Corcovado National Park

A nature preserve and tropical rain-forest that occupies almost a third of the Osa Peninsula. Unleash your inner explorer, spot some of the most incredible wildlife living in the jungles of the reserve including red-eyed tree frogs, quetzals, tapirs, harpy eagles, white-lipped peccaries, monkeys, and scarlet macaws.

Crossing the Panama Canal

It’s an engineering marvel, a multi-billion-dollar commercial behemoth. The Panama Canal, which joins the Atlantic to the Pacific, is certainly Panama’s greatest claim to fame. Moving mountains and carving through dense jungle, the creation of the canal in 1914 literally reshaped the natural landscape of this sliver of Central America.